A new regional High Level Group for South-West Europe on interconnections has been set up.

The Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E) strategy is focused on linking the energy infrastructure of EU countries. As part of the strategy, nine priority corridors and three priority thematic areas have been identified.

The priority corridors, which cover at least two EU countries, require urgent infrastructure development in electricity, gas or oil. This development will connect regions currently isolated from European energy markets, strengthen existing cross-border interconnections, and help integrate renewable energy.

The EU helps countries in priority corridors and priority thematic areas to work together to develop better connected energy networks, and provides funding for new energy infrastructure.

Priority electricity corridors:

North Seas offshore grid (NSOG): Integrated offshore electricity grid development and related interconnectors in the North Sea, Irish Sea, English Channel, Baltic Sea and neighbouring waters to transport electricity from renewable offshore energy sources to centres of consumption and storage and to increase cross-border electricity exchange.

North-south gas interconnections in Western Europe (‘NSI West Gas’): Gas infrastructure for north-south gas flows in western Europe to further diversify routes of supply and for increasing short-term gas deliverability.

Southern Gas Corridor (‘SGC’): Infrastructure for the transmission of gas from the Caspian Basin, Central Asia, Middle East and eastern Mediterranean Basin to the EU to enhance diversification of gas supply.

Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan in gas (‘BEMIP Gas’): Gas infrastructure to end the isolation of the three Baltic States and Finland and their dependency on a single supplier, to reinforce internal grid infrastructures, and to increase diversification and security of supplies in the Baltic Sea region.

Electricity highways: construction of electricity highways – large grids that allow electricity to be transported over long distances across Europe (e.g. from wind farms in the North and Baltic Seas to storage facilities in Scandinavia and the Alps)